We’ve seen several former child actors open up about their hard time juggling fame and responsibilities. From sexual harassment to introduction to substances, the list goes on and on when it comes to how dark Hollywood can be for young children trying to navigate it.
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Hayden Pantierre recently revealed she was given the happy drug just so she could be more fun to talk to during interviews and Selena Gomez once said she wouldn’t encourage young people to go into the entertainment industry.
All these are hints that surviving the entertainment industry without “harm” as a kid is rare and hard. And Natalie Portman counts herself as one of those rare and extremely lucky ones.
Natalie Portman Discourages Children From Going Into Hollywood
The “Thor” actress is getting real about her time as a child actor and how she narrowly escaped “harm” in an industry that’s becoming popular for affecting children negatively.
In a new episode of Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast, the 42-year-old Oscar winner reflected on her younger years and going into the movie industry at age 13.
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She called it “an accident of luck” she was not harmed as a child actress.
“I would not encourage young people to go into this,” Natalie, who is mom to son Aleph, 12, and daughter Amalia, 6, added, later clarifying, “I don’t mean ever; I mean as children.”
“I feel it was almost an accident of luck that I was not harmed, also combined with very overprotective, wonderful parents,” she said.
Portman made her big screen debut in “Léon: The Professional” at 13, but according to her, she didn’t like it then, but she’s now grateful for it as an adult knowing how much it helped her career grow. However, she did previously reveal that her feelings toward her role in the movie are “complicated” since some parts are now “cringey.”
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“I’ve heard too many bad stories to think that any children should be part of it,” she said of kids in the entertainment industry. “Having said that, I know all the conversations that we’ve been having these past few years. It’s made people more aware and careful.”
“But ultimately, I don’t believe that kids should work,” she said. “I think kids should play and go to school.”
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